BJP Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday questioned the top leadership of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), saying that the party has not attempted to answer a single question pointed at them.

“For a party that wants to ask questions of everybody on earth, and who thinks that for democracy and democratic principles answers should be obtained, when it comes to them, they don’t want to answer," she said.

"They are not interested in giving answers, because they think they don’t need to answer. They don’t need to answer to the people. This is an affront to the democratic principles that are held high in this country,” Sitharaman alleged.

Questioning Arvind Kejriwal about his party's link with one of the companies accused in the coal scam, she said that Rahul Mehra, a prominent member of AAP, is paid or is continued to be a paid director in one of the companies that is in the thick of the coal allocation scam. She also showed a screen shot of a list of directors. According to Sitharaman, he was drawing about Rs 40 lakh annually as salary.

BJP asked if this was the reason why AAP was silent about the coal scandal. According to Sitharaman, during the critical period of 2008-09 to 2012, this prominent member of the AAP, was a member of that company.

Sitharaman added that that Transparency International never gave a certificate that corruption decreased during the 49-day rule of the Aam Aadmi Party. This was a claim very often made by AAP and she asked why such information was peddled.

Raking up charges made by AVAM, Sitharaman questioned how Kejriwal, even after being an ex-IRS officer, didn't know about norms and cleared such a huge amount. She termed the act as brazen.

BJP also questioned the relationship between AAP and Congress. Sitharaman said that AAP ideologue​ Yogendra Yadav was a member of NAC and the officer who replaced Ashok Khemka had also been given a ticket by AAP. BJP alleged that there was a pattern of relationship between Congress and AAP. "Is this the reason why no probe was ordered against Sheila Dikshit?" Sitharaman asked.

Sitharaman also questioned if actual participatory democracy is being practised by AAP and if candidates are being selected via public opinion. She says that during AAP's 49-day rule, the Janata Darbar happened only twice and as soon as real problems were brought to Kejriwal's notice, he fled away from the scene.

Regarding calling people from North East India as immigrants in its 'Vision Document' for Delhi, BJP says that there was a typing error in the document and admitted to the error. But Sitharaman says that their intention was correct.

Watch the video of the press conference here: